#0226 Back to the Inn

Transcript:
Panel 1: All the players are sitting around the table.
Mike: Ok adventurers. You want to turn your cowardly tails back to the inn? Fine. You’re now back at the inn.
Panel 2:
Patrick: I buy a pint for the dwarf lady!
Kendra: I guzzle the pint!
Jenny: I check the joint for hot orc dudes.
Lisa: I pick-pocket everyone!
Panel 3:
Mike: All right, I need a charisma check from you two, a perception check from you, and a stealth check from you.
Panel 4: They roll.
Mike: You all fail!
Panel 5:
Jenny: Well this is dumb.
Mike: The inn catches fire! You must evacuate or perish!
Lisa (standing now): Snacks are gone! D&D is over!
The cats are napping in the foreground.

1) Did they all really roll that badly, or did he fudge the numbers?
2) How the heck did their failing their check rolls set the inn on fire?
3) Boo! You’re still dictating the game path. Bad GM! No cookie! : /

1) DM’s discretion ftw!
2) Danger can happen.
3) To be fair, that *is* a GM’s job, at least to a point. If you truly are running a sandbox then next time you start are you going to not even describe where they are and just say “Ok what are you doing” ? I mean seriously, yes players have free will but it’s really no fun if you don’t have something for them to do in the game. While I admit he could learn a thing or two about luring players instead of strong-arming, the problem here is not necessarily all his fault (which is really the joke). These people just don’t want to play. So that leaves the REAL question- Will she ever get back into her guild if the game group does not shape up? dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN

Yes, the GM should have material planned out, dungeons ready, and quests prepared, but the point is, he should hang out a few ‘hooks’ to get the players on the path towards his material (gold and xp is pretty reliable for bait), not simply tell them they’re going that way. And I think it’s less them not wanting to play and more them not wanting to play it -his-way-. It’s a good joke, but I get some extra giggles thinking I’m smacking upside the head with a rolled-up rule erratta sheet like a bad dog.

When I DMed I found myself fudging the numbers, but it was always in the players’ favor because they were so spectacularly bad at working together that they couldn’t hit the broad side of a bugbear with a Masterworks bow.

First thing ya do, is decide what type of game you want to run. Dungeon crawl? Pub crawl? Messenger for the King (or to the Alpha Centaurans, or for the Justice League, depending on which genre of gurps they are playing…)?

Second, decide how you think the story will go and write it up. Then figure what can go wrong, and plot around it (even if the story goes horribly, horribly wrong because of it!).

Then third, get your college buddies to explain the rules to you. What sort of things you have to roll dice for, and how that works. (I don’t remember enough, and a blog comment won’t do.)

And only fourth, figure out how to get the story told with a minimum of chance and die rolling. Combat may be an exception to that rule, though. I have absolutely no idea how you go about making a combat “challenging but doable” in Gurps, nor yet what kind of fallout from a combat there is.

Probably want to start with a few sample combats, or a one-evening adventure (“kill those cowardly kobolds”, or “rescue the inn patrons”) to test the waters.

GURPS? We used to play a couple of those back in the day. GURPS is fairly unique in that it provides universal tools and rules that can be utilized in a variety of different universes while giving the players the flexibility to customize the environment. There are futuristic universes, fantasy-based ones, and basically anything you can imagine — including, as I recall, one alternate reality where the known world ended due to Y2K.

The first thing you’ll want is to determine what kind of setting you’d like to explore. As noted, GURPS is fairly flexible and the rules can be applied to almost anything you can imagine. Getting your hands on the player/dungeon master guides will help you get a firm grasp on what is expected of you and how you can mold everything into what you want.

The internet is a phenomenal resource when you’re looking for ideas. I rather like the 100 Adventure Ideas on the D&D Wiki. While the ones there are fairly fantasy-centric, you could easily adapt any number of them into another universe. They might even spark something unique and exciting that you’d like to explore instead!

If I were you, I’d also ask if you can sit in on any sessions that your buddies are playing. You don’t necessarily have to play, though it would give you further insight as to how the game runs from the other side of the table. It’ll also help you understand what is expected of both players and the Dungeon/Game Master as well as rudimentary understanding of the system and rules being utilized.

If you Search google for “gurps rules” it looks like the first link is a free download of GURPS Lite, a 32 page basic rule set for you. As a Dm it is fairly important you have at least a passing grasp of rules unless you all really plan to go diceless and free-style it. My understand of GURPS, as I have never played it, is that it’s appeal lies in a literally limitless number of settings and mods you can run. I’ve also heard a lot of the rules are somewhat convoluted and hard to figure because of the vast number of different settings a certain set of rules has to work for.
Almost as important as the rules, though, is to know your players. The suggestion of trying some small tests is a very good one. Another thing to remember is that most players, especially new ones, will act a great deal as you would expect them to from their day-to-day personality. EG- If you have a friend who is an ardent rule follower or generous, they are likely to be easy to lure in with a noble quest. If they’re a party-er or drinker, ect You’re more likely to get them going with a good inn scenes and a lot of action(same goes for a lot of FPS players). Someone whom you know to be a bit shady at times might enjoy a bit of stealthy, high risk-high profit fun.
In the end, learn to rely on your creativity. GMing is a really great outlet for storytelling. The Story and fun whould always trump rules. Hope these were good tips, good luck Dming!

4.0 has perception and stealth, but not really CHA checks, though as a DM I could see calling for that instead of diplomacy considering their actions, and not really sure why they need to roll anything to buy and chug a beer.

Completely off topic- I think Patrick is the only guy I’ve ever seen with JUST a nose ring. Ever other guy I’ve seen with one has so much metal on their face the nose ring seems an afterthought. Go him for having subtle jewelry.

Mike should have let them have fun at the Inn. It’s easy enough to roleplay and it’s a sure bet the players will run out of money(he can always make them run out of it), which would make them more likely to go adventuring for more gold. Patience, Mike, patience.